CHAPTER
II
REVI
EW OF'I'IIE RULATTID
T,I'I'EITA'I'U
RU
In this chaptcr. thc wrilcr wrxrld likc to disr:uss lhc thcorctical framcwork which will be uscd as a mcans to analyzc tlte novel thc writer will be discussing. 'I'hey
are novel, characLerizalion, characler; how to study a character, the structure of Henry James' novel and the meaning through social cofitrast (the American vs the European)
2 . 1 . N o v e l 'l'lre
novcl possesscs the sanre basic elcnrents as drama and thc short story. The advantage o[ the novel is its length, which makes it possible for the writer to develop all the basic elements to achievc the purpose of the writer, as describe Ibllorvs :
According to Little (1966:68),"'l'he novel is the longest form of prose fiction, in wlrich we rnay fin<J rnost extraordinarily wide range of writing." Little (1966:68) also mentions," A novel is greatly concerned with character. Because of its scope, a novel will be expected to present one or a few characters in considerable depth, as well as a large array of minor characters in outline."
Schuster stress on the length ofthe novel and its connection to the development of the character, Ilawthorn (1985:l) says "'A novel may include references to real places, people and events, but it contain only such reference and remain in a novel-However, eventhough i1s characters and actions are imaginary, they are in some sense representative ofthe real life as the dictionary has it; although fictional they trear an important resemblance to the rcal."
From the above statements, it is clear that the length ofthe novel gives the wrilcr c|nrrct:s lp rlcvcftrp llx: char:tclcrs tirlly lrtrl llrt: <:h:traclcrs, cvt:lt if illtng,irtnry. should not be in contradiction with the characters of the real
people-It has becn mcntioned bcforc that thc novcl posscsses the same basic elements as drama and thc short story. So far. only character aS the clement of the novel that has been discussed, since character is the great concerns in this study.
2.2 Characteiz.ation
Bain" Beaty and Hunter (1977'.32) contrast "characteC' to "characterization" by saying," Character is a kind of subject matter, the reality or stuff out of which the fiction is made and characterization is a structure, a literary method." In addition to this, Bain, Beaty and Hunter (1977:32) define characterization as," the aesthetic or stnrctural aspects of character - the art, craft, method of presentation or creation of the fictional personages."
l 2
l. Type Characterization
which is the sinrpli{ication
of character
down to one or
two qualitics.
lt can be cntertaining,
althotrgh
it is rcalistic,
l'or instance
a
comedy, a caricature,
in which the person's characteristics
are exaggerated
fantastic degree.2. Stock Characterization which uses the familiar type of character, "in stock," in the sense ofthe storehouse oflitcrary dcvices, for example, boastful hypocrite. witty servant.
Like Pcrrine, l-ittle (19(16:90) also dividcs thc characterization into two types based on thc author's way in presenting the characterization :
1. Descriptive Characterization which is mainly presented through description, or discussion. l'his characterization is what Perrine calls " direct presentation". 2. Dramatic Characterization which is sinrply a report of the character's speech
and action. This characte rization is what Perrine calls " indirect presentation." In adclition to the dramatic and descriptive method, Little (1966:90) says " Neither the descriptive nor the dranratic method of characterization is "the bcst" nrcthod. each has virlucs and lirritatiolts." For this rcason, the two methods are possible to be combined.
2.3 Character
gains his goal may be present in the real life. While Potter (1967:3) explains that a character does not rcl'cr only to a person in a litcrary work, but to what he is like including his whole nature, such as his personality, his ways of thinking or "spirituat " qualities, his intelligence, even his physical build. According to Kusurnawidjaja(]992.13) in her unpublished thesis,"... in relation with the plot, a character can be protagonist or antagonist, for there mrrst be leading character in the plot."
Further, Perrinc (19(a/o:44) defines the meaning of protagonisl and antagonist, as follows : 'l'he central character in the conflict, whetlrer he be a synrpathctic or unsynrpathetic pcrson rclcrrcd fo protagorrist. 'l'hc firrrccs srrnyctl against him, whether persons, things or conventions ofsociety are thc antagonist'
According to the way it is developed, characters can be categorized into flat and round characters, as Baiq Beaty and l{unter (1977:501) ," In proportion to the fullness oftheir development, the characters in a story are relatively flat or round characters."
According to Bain, Beaty and Hunter (1977:501) ," A flat chafacter is one who has one or few dominant traits, who remains essentially consistence of two dimensional, one who can usually be categorized or described in a sentence or two' 'Ihese
usually are minor characters. This type of charactcr is also called a simple or lwo - dimensional character.
always a static character
because
it undergoes
no appreciable
changes as the
storyprogress." The static character itself according to Penine (1966:71)," The static character is the same sort of person at the end of the story as he was at the beginning." Furthermore, Perine (1966:70) adds that ," A special kind of flat character is the stock character - this character is found very often inferior fiction because they require neirher imagination nor observation on the part of the writer and is instantly recognizable to the reader."
T h e o p p o n e n t o f { l a t c h a r a c t e r i s r o u n d c h a r a c t e r w h i c h i s d e f i n e d b y Perrine (1966:69) ," The round character is complex and many sided; he might reqrrire an essay for full analysis." In other words, round character is also a developing (dynamic) character, as it tends to change in accordance with the events he takes part in it. This characler is lifelike and has many traits. Simon and Schuster (1966:29) says ," Round character is obviously more lifelike that the sinrple, because in life people are nol sinrply embotliments of single attitude"" This type ofcharacter is also called a cornplex or thrcc - dirncnsional character.
B a s i n g o n t h e r o l e i n t h e s t o r y ' K e n n e y ( 1 9 6 6 : 1 0 ) d i v i d e s c h a r a c t e r s i n t o two types, namelY :
l. A major character who plays the most important role 2. A minor character who plays small role
L a u r e n c e P e r r i n e ( t 9 6 6 : 6 8 ) s a y s t h a t , ' ' A n a u t h o r m a y p r e s e n t s h i s characters either directly or indirectly.
out, by expository or analYsis, what
t 5
p r e s e n t a t i o n m a y u s e e x p o s i t i o n o r a n a l y s i s b y t h e n a r r a t o r . . . I n i n d i r e c t presentation," Penine continues ," the author shows us the character in action; we infer what he is like from what he thinks or says or does'" The indirect presentation, therefore, may use the characters' actions, interactions or dialogues among the characters
llatlen (1967: l8) categorized characters into four ways :
l. By appearancs : the actor's physical qtralities give an immediate stimultrs to thc audicncc
2- By speech : for the kind of language used by the person manner of speaking, and voice quality. tlere' the dramatist takes great care to write dialogue that makes an intmediate impression about th€ characler' 3. Ily a character's external action in order to have clues to his inner
motivations.
4. By what othcrs say about a charaoter and the way in which they r€act to him
2.4 How to StudY a Character
Wa|terB|air(1959:48)definescharacterizationofapieceofawork.Here, h e p o s e s t h r e e q u e s t i o n s . F i r s t , w h a t t h e q u a . l i t i c s - t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f t h e c h a r a c t e r s i n t h c w o r k s a r e . . | . o a n s w c r t h i s q u e s t i < r n , o n c s h o u | d k n o w a b o u t t h c role of the characters. Some of them will be nothing more than isolated types'
motiv€. Some will have qualities which contend for mastery, while others, essentially, are conlending drives - personalities.
The second question is how the work has indicated those qualities. For the author must have the technical skills required to acquaint us with his creations obviously, and sonretimes, he may vary his methods. He can describe a person in
such a way as to infer that he is arrogant or intelligent. The character's features, his perfbrmance, his timbre, his gesture and his facial expressions, his voice - all of thcsc may bc dclincntcd as lo show rrs what lrc is. Or an atlthor mRy characlcrize with (l)direct statement (2)picturing his surrounding (3)quoting his dialogues (4)telling the character's thought (5)giving the opinions ofothers about the certain character, or (6)showing an action.
Blair (1959:50) also says abotrt their function in the work. There are three functions, as the followings .
l. may appear for a particular action.
2. may appear for a change - a reversal - which is at the heart of a pattern of action.
3. may offer signs of the progress and the conrpletion of the narrative'
In short, the writer can conclude that this expert reveals three aspects of studying characters in an imaginative work. Firstly, what the characters are like' Next, how the author reveals those qualities and the last one is what function each detail performs.
into three points, first of all, it is callcd basic characteristic which include the physical appearance, social relationship of the character, and mental qualities; second, the appearance from various points of view toward the character, what development that exists. Last is the connection with the environment, the surrounding, or the place that the story
happened-Jeremy Hawlhorn ( 1985:50) suggested four methods of studying charactcrs.
l tly dcscription or rePort. 2. By action.
We learn something about the character which pages of description could not give us.
3. By a character's thought or conversation.
Dialogue in particular is a wonderful way of revealing character. Modern novelistS have shown how much we can learn about a character merely by following his or her thoughts.
4. By a symbol or image.
This symbol or image is use to reveal and develop a character'
l 8
can reveal character,
we may, for example,
understand
characters'
hypocrisy
only
by observing
the discrepancy
htween their actions
and their words. Finally, we can
sometimes
find clues
to what characters
are like througlr their appearance.
Accorcling
to Barnet,
Berman
and Burto (1992112)
in studying
characters,
we have to take these
four points into consideration
:
l. What the character saYs
(but consider that what he or she says need not b€ taken at face value; thc character may bc hypocritical' or sclf - deccived' or biased - you will have to detect this from the context).
What the character
does.
What other characters
say about the
character-What the character
looks likc.
(what they looks like may help you to understand
them'
From the definitions
above"
the writer would like to say that the Barnet,
Berman and Rurto's points in studying a character
is the simplest,
easiest and
clearest.
That's why the writer choose the Barnet, Berman and Burto's points in
studying
the protagonist's
character
in IIenry James'
novel ThePortrait ofA Lady.
2.5 The Slnrcttrre of tlenry James' Novels
Almost all of James' novels are structured in the same way. Roberts ( 1965:9) statcs that '"Tlrere must bc a center - sorncthing toward which all the lines point and which supremely matters". This is ess€ntially James' own explanation of his strttcture. The thing that "supremely matters" is the central idea of the novel or
,)
that "supremely matters" is for lsabel Archer to have the opportunity to develop freely to the limits of her own capacity. The thing that "supremely matters" is the full development of Isabel Archer. She is seen as a person who has great potential, but she does not have the freedom which would allow her to develop her own innate qualitics. Thcrcfore, almost all of the sccnes and action of thc novel are design to hinder or to bring to complelion this chance for lsabel to attain her full capacity.
Janrcs' crcativc proccss is also important to undcrslanding lhc stntcturc of his works. He begins his novels with a situation and a character. He created a certain situation, and then he would place his characters in it. James would then, in effect, sit back and simply observe what would happen when a character was confronted with this new situation. Often, James said, he hacl no particular ending in mind when he began a novel. Instead, he would let the characler and the situation determines the ending. This allowed him more freedonl and allowed him the opportunity of "getting to know" his character by observing him in a series of scenes.
'I'hus,
the oentral sitr"ration in The Portrait of A Lady is the arrival of a charming young girl in Europe who is restricted by having no means to travel and be free. Many characters who meet her wonder what would happen if she were perfectly free to develop her fullest.
t 9
20
Henry James
was the first novelist to write on the theme of the American
versus
the European
with any degree
of success.
Roberts
(1965:61)
states
that,
"Almost all of his major novels may be approached
as a study of the social theme
of the American
in Europe,
in which James
contrasts
the active life of the American
with the mannered
life of the European
aristocracy.
Embodied
in this contrast
is
the moral theme in which the moral innocence
of the American
is contrasted
with
the knowledge
and experience
(evil) ofthe European.
In the P,_o!1fait_of
A lady, the character
who represents
the Arnerican
in the
best sense
of the word is, of course, I sabel Archer. The representative
of the
European in the worse sense
of the world is Gilbert osmond, and to a lesser
degree Madame Meile. Of course, both of these people were actually born in
Arlerica, but thcy havc lived thcir cntirc lives in Europc and considcr
themselves
European.
